Sleigh



(NoModeL) I E. J. COX & D. E. PORTON.

SLEIGH.

Patented Dec. 27, 1887.

WITNESSES Q9 I, 06 INVENTOM 2 W Attorney;

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD J. COX AND DWIGHT E. FORTON, OF EVART, MICHIGAN.

SLEIGH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 375,607, dated December 27, 1887.

Application filed September 17. 1857. Serial No. 249,937. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, EDWARD J. COX and DWIGHT E. FoRroN, both residents of Evart, in the county of Osceola and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sleighs; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, and in which* Figure l is a perspective view of a one-bean1 sleigh constructed in accordance with our invention. Fig. 2 is a detail perspective view of the runner-casting which forms a part of our invention. Fig. 3 is a similar view of the beam-casting which forms a part of our invention, and Fig. 4 is a longitudinal central vertical sectional View through one of the runners and beam ends.

The same numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

The object of our invention is to provide a one-beam sleigh of sufficient strength and with a wide bearing between the ends of the beam and the runners to strengthen the runner and make the sleigh strong and durable and less cumbersome, and at the same time enabling the runners to play or move separately according to the nature of the ground over which they are passing, giving the sleigh the greatest equalizing motion, thus making the sleigh, while simple in construction, exceedingly easy in motion.

To these ends our invention, which relates to road sleighs, logging sleighs, &c., constructed in various sizes for drawing either light or heavy loads, consists in thenew and improved construction and arrangement of parts, which will be hereinafter fully described and claimed.

Referring to the several parts by their numerals, in Fig. 1 of the drawings we have shown two single-beam bob-sleighs connected by the pole or tongue to form a logging or lumber sleigh.

It is a well-establish ed fact that the one-beam sleigh, if properly built and properly adjusted, is the best for general use in carrying heavy or light loads. The great difficulty with sleighs of this form, however, is to obtain sufficient strength in the bearing between the ends of the beam and the runners to make the sleigh durable and strong, and at the same time not make it cumbersome and heavy, and give the proper motion to the runners. These difiiculties we claim to have overcome by our invention, which will be now described in detail.

l 1 indicate the runners of the sleigh, and 2 the single beam of the same, 3 3 indicating the metal shoes on each runner.

4 indicates a block of wood which is secured upon the top of each runner at the point where the end of the beam bears and on which the runner-casting is secured. This block may be formed in one piece with the runners, or may be made ofa separate piece of wood and secured in position on the runner by one of the bolts 5, by means of which the metal shoes 3 3 are bolted to the runners in the usual manner, and also by the pins or bolts which secure the castings of the runner and the beam in their operative positions, as hereinafter described.

6 indicates the runner-casting, these castings consisting each of a long solid cast-iron run ner plate or casting, which is formed on its longitudinal sides with the downwardly-projecting flanges 7, which fit snugly on each side of the runner, fitting snugly to the sides of the wooden runner and preventing cracking or splitting of the same; and it will be seen that the long bearing of the casting 6 lengthwise of the runner gives the runner increased strength in its heretofore weakest point. The top of the runner-casting is slightly curved or rounded from end to end, as shown, its upper corners being also beveled or rounded olT, so that its top is nearly oval in outline, and this rounded or curved shape of the top of the runner-castings, also in conjunction with the rounded shape of the bottoms of the beamcastings,hereinafter described, brings the bearing-point'directly in the center of the same and gives a rocking motionto the runners with the minimum of friction and leaves each runner independent of the other to run over 0bstacles in its progress.

The top of each runner-plate is double the width of the runner in width and nearly or about three times its width in length. The increased width of the top of the runner plates or castings gives double the amount of bearing on top of the runners, divided equally on each side of the center of the same, the broad and long plates or castings thus forming a bracket or brace to the runners, and the downwardlyprojecting flanges on both edges of the plates also forming a brace on both sides of the runner, and add greatly-increased strength, the casting plates also preventing the runners from canting over to either side in case of the sleigh slewing to one side or the other, thus taking a great portion of the strain from off the pins 8 8, which pass from the ends of the beam 2 down through round apertures9 9 in the runner-castings and deep into the runners, as shown in the sectional View, Fig. 4, these pins thus serving to hold the castings in position on the runners and prevent the possibility of their shifting. The tops of the runner'castings are in the proportion of eleveninches long by four inches wide, of course varying somewhat in size, according to the size of the sleigh for which they are intended, this size giving a bearing of eleven inches in length and four inches in width when the runner itself is only two inches wide, the width of the top of the plates overlapping the runners one inch on each side.

10 10 indicate the beam-castings, which are adapted to be placed on the lower side of the ends of the single beam 2 of the sleigh. These plates or castings 10 are slightly wider on their inner than their outer ends, to suit the slightly-tapering ends of the beams, and each beam-casting is formed at each side with the upwardly-extending flanges 11 11, which extend up on each side of the ends of the beam and protect it from wear and also from all danger of splitting. These plates 10 are slightly curved or rounded on their lower sides, so thatwhen in contact with the rounded upper sides of the runner-castings they assist in aiding the runners to rock when passing over obstructions. These beam-plates are bolted to the ends of the beam by means of bolts'12 12, passing through small bolt-holes 13 13 in each plate, and each plate is also formed with the two oblong vertical holes or openings 14 14, which are usually in theproportion of one and one-fourth inch long by fifteen-sixteenths wide, their length or longest diameter extending in the directionv of the length of the runners. These openings in the beam-plates are the same size from top to bottom, and openings 15 15 are formed vertically in each end of the beam, so as to register with the plate-openings when the plates are secured in position, these openings 15 15 being oval and of the same size and arrangement as the oval openings in the beam-plates. Through these openings 15 15 in the ends of the beams pass the iron bolts or pins 16 16, which are of the same size as the openings 9 9 in the runner-castings, through which their lower end portions pass and down deep into the wooden runners, the lower half or two-thirds of these pins being thus embedded in the runners and the runner plates or castings. The upper portions of these pins 16 16 pass up through the oval openings 14 14 in the beam-plates, and through the oval vertical openings 15 15,which extend entirely through the ends of the beams. The upper ends of these pins 16 16 are preferably shouldered, and, as will be seen, hold the several parts together in their operative positions,and to further strengthen the several'parts and steady them in operation we employ the iron raves or braces 17 17, one on each runner, as shown, each of the said raves consisting of a flat metal bar, the central portion of which extends over the end of the beam and has two apertures, 18 18, through which the upper shouldered ends of the pins 16 16 pass, while the ends of the bar are bent down, as shown, so that their extremities rest upon the top of the runner, where these bent extremities are held movably, not rigidly, by the clips 19 19, to permit of the movement of the runners.

It will be seen that by constructing the castings and several parts as above set forth each runner will have a separate independent rocking motion, so that either runner can rock independent of the other when passing over rough ground, while by constructing the beam-castings and also the beams with the oblong openings through which the round pins pass it will be seen that each runner will have an independent end motion independent of the other, which will enable either runner to start and move a few inches back or ahead independent of the other runner without any strain or cramping of the sleigh or sleighs, thus making it'very easy to start when heavily loaded and carrying the load with greater ease for the team and sleighs running easy when started.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the construction, operation, and many advantages of our invention will be readily understood. It will further be seen that the sleigh will run easier for the team andfor the sleighs themselves, as each runner will do its own work without extra strain on the other. The runners and beam are to a certain extent equalizers; for example, if the sleigh is running on an even surface and one runner comes to an obstacle it will raise or rock over the said obstacle, thus throwing a portion of its load on the opposite runner without any strain, and will gradually take this weight back as it comes to a level. Another advantage is that if one runner comes to a bare spot which it has to run over while-the other is running on the snow or ice, as the first-mentioned runner touches the bare spot it will stand still while the other runner goes ahead, thus bringing a greater proportion of the draft to bear upon the runner which is so impeded in its progress until it passes over the bare spot, when they both move off alike, these advantages making our new and improved sleigh the easiest-running sleigh by doing away with all unnecessary friction between the runner and beam.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

The combination of the runners having the blocks, the runner-castings formed with the side flanges, the apertures and the rounded upper faces, the single beam formed at each end with the vertical oval openings, the beamcastings formed with the side flanges, the rounded lower faces, the bolt-holes, and the oval openings, the pins having the shouldered upper ends, the raves or braces, and the loose 20 clips, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our own we have hereunto affixed our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

EDWARD J. COX. DWIGHT E. FORTON.

\Vitnesses:

F. S. SovEREnN, O. O. TRUMBULL. 

